The constant evolution of how the internet works, from the Internet of Computers (IoC) to the Internet of Things (IoT). In addition, numerous interconnected systems, also known as cyber-physical systems (CPS), are emerging from the assimilation of several aspects such as humans, smart objects, embedded devices, physical environments and infrastructure. The main idea is to envisage, in the technological world, a huge ‘internet of everything in an intelligent cyber-physical space’. The future ‘intelligent revolution’ would be to combine IoT and CPS with data science. The current concern is how to manage the enormous amounts of data generated with the much lower computing power that exists. To address this management problem, research in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) will be required. Thus, the technological future in this field will be a major advance with the combination of IoT and AI. The aim of this combination is not just to generate hype, develop smart objects, boost the economy or reduce human effort. The main objective is much more than that: to improve human life. Security and ethics remain the two serious problems facing the IoT since its inception. The major challenge is not the fascination aroused by the combination of IoT and AI, but rather the way the general public views it: as a boon, a burden or a threat.